Baloch Students Action Committee Condemns Police Interference in Book Fairs, Vows to Continue Struggle for Education
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Quetta: The central spokesperson of the Baloch Students Action Committee has issued a statement condemning the ongoing interference of state institutions, police, and government machinery in the book fairs being held across Balochistan. The spokesperson highlighted that the Book Caravan, which has been ongoing for over a month from Koh Sulaiman to Gwadar, has faced continuous efforts from the authorities to disrupt these educational events.
The statement mentions that previously, book fairs in Gwadar, Kharaan, and Nasirabad were sabotaged, with students being harassed, book stalls being destroyed, and students arrested. Additionally, false FIRs were registered against the students. The spokesperson further detailed that in the Koh Sulaiman region, including areas such as Dera Ghazi Khan, Taunsa Sharif, Barkhan, Rajanpur, and others, book fairs have faced similar disruptions by government institutions.
In Barkhan, the district administration, led by the police, raided a book stall, harassed the students, and forcibly shut it down. In Taunsa Sharif, the Punjab Police raided a book fair in front of the Post Graduate College, harassed students, and took the books with them. In Yaro Khosa, Dera Ghazi Khan, the Punjab Police arrested students along with the books, demonstrating an anti-education stance. Dera Ghazi Khan, a predominantly Baloch area, has faced unfair treatment from the Punjab Police and government, as shown by the recent restrictions on book fairs.
The spokesperson also pointed out that in Fazila Kuch, a book fair was raided by the Border Military Police (BMP), a local force in the tribal area, which is being misused by colonial-era political assistants to target Baloch communities. Recently, in Rajanpur’s Dajal area, the Punjab Police once again raided a book fair, where police personnel used abusive language, threatened students, and forcibly dismantled the book stall. Seven students were illegally arrested along with the books.
The Baloch Students Action Committee condemned these actions, emphasizing that they were simply trying to bring educational resources to their communities by purchasing books from major bookstores in the country. They called on the Punjab government and Dera Ghazi Khan administration to cease their harassment of Baloch students, political activists, and book fairs. The committee warned that if the harassment continues, they will launch a widespread protest across the Koh Sulaiman region.